Washington, D.C. – Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign today criticized a new Yucca Mountain bill for being a continuation of the failed policies of the past.

The Department of Energy will send the legislation to Capitol Hill tomorrow morning. Lawmakers have not had a chance to study the bill yet, but Reid and Ensign say they know enough about it to realize that it would be harmful to Nevada.

“I received a call from a DOE official today. I didn’t hear all the details of the bill, but I heard enough to know there’s nothing new or original,” said Reid. “The DOE is following the same road that has led them to countless health, safety, and scientific violations. This bill has no future; it’s dead when it gets here. We need to move away from these failed policies and towards on-site dry cask storage of nuclear waste. Dry cask storage would save our country billions of dollars and keep us safer. It’s already being used successfully at 34 nuclear sites.”

“The bill being brought before us is yet another attempt to twist the data and make Yucca Mountain appear scientifically sound,” said Ensign. “This bill will go nowhere. The Nevada delegation is as united as ever on stopping Yucca Mountain and interim storage, and misguided legislation such as this will only bolster our cause. No doctored data, cartoon character or amount of scientific malpractice will make Yucca Mountain suitable.”

Reid and Ensign plan to study the bill closely in the next few days, but both said they expect the legislation to look even worse with more scrutiny.